Words Make Warriors

Words are distinct meaningful elements of speech that when used together in a purposeful way can be powerful catalysts for change. Each individual human being has the power to persuade, inform, or inspire using only their words. 

Most people do not recognize this potential that is constantly available. It is not always found in big moments like commencement speeches or large organized protests. Training your brain to think about what to say or what not to in the right moments can change everything. 

In This is Water, David Foster Wallace demonstrates that all our words and actions illustrate how "deeply and literally self-centered" we are. By going out of our way to say simple but kind things to someone we can change even our own attitudes and perspectives. It is burdensome to be constantly thinking about how to deliver a message in the exact right way. Wallace masterfully uses his words to inspire his audience to control and utilize theirs. 

This power of communication lies within every person, often ignored. Is this because people are too lazy to put effort into what they want to say? Or maybe it is that people have been trained to do everything too quickly, letting words flow naturally without anything to stop and enhance them along the way.

In her book White Tigers, Maxine Hong Kingston explores what makes a woman a leader and a warrior. She finds that it is “not the beheading, not the gutting, but the words” (Kingston 53). This means that to be a leader of people and an activist for change we need not have weapons or an army; words will suffice.